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As mentioned in last week’s post, possible subjects for night-time shooting include cityscapes, landscapes, a staged scenario, and astronomical phenomena. In the case of cityscapes, one does not have to live in, or travel to, well-known cities such as Washington, DC, New York City, or Paris.

This was taken during the Nautical Twilight phase, but by looking west, one can still see plenty of light in the sky. The location was chosen because there was good illumination from city lights over most of the scene and the Connecticut River provided a nice reflection of the city lights. Using water to reflect lights can be a very effective technique at night. As before, the glare from the brighter lights was managed by using a small aperture to produce a star effect.

From this location (an overlook in the 1400 block of Grandview Avenue), the city of Pittsburgh provides a dramatic night scene with plenty of illumination. However, the moving ferry in the river required a relatively short exposure, forcing a setting at a wide aperture and high ISO.

Tactics for Adding Interest

Aside from looking for potential reflections, one can also look for illuminated fountains, use time exposures to incorporate traffic flow, or take advantage of a special event such as temporary art installations or fireworks. The city of Washington, DC has many fountains although most are shut down for the winter.

The primary reason for using a photomerge in this case was to “remove” the tourists in the scene. About 17 separate exposures were made, each of a small section of the scene that did not have anyone in it at that moment. Depending on the situation, there are easier ways to do this in Photoshop, such as the Image Stacking Mode or the Scripts-Statistics process. But those techniques have difficulty with any moving object, such as a flag or moving water, that appears in every image. Bartholdi Fountain at Twilight

This fountain, dating back to 1876, was created by August Bartholdi, a French artist who is better known for the Statue of Liberty. It is located in Bartholdi Park across Independence Avenue from the US Botanic Garden.

Fountains can be found in most cities around the world; Rome and Paris (see image below) are famous for their fountains, but Kansas City reportedly is second only to Rome in the number of municipal fountains.

When shooting at street level, the brightness of oncoming headlights can still be a problem, even with a long exposure. Here the traffic was going away from the camera so only the taillights and the blue warning lights from the police car were visible.

This technique does not have to be restricted to street vehicles. For locations near an airport, aircraft landings and take-offs can also be included as shown in the next two images.

There are several locations where you can capture aircraft landing at National Airport. This was taken on the river’s edge about 200 feet northwest of the Thompson Boat Center.

Kennedy Center at Night

(Tech: Nikon D850, 24-70 f/2.8 lens @ 70mm; 20sec. @ f/18, ISO 100)

Special event illuminations such as the recent display by the Kennedy Center can provide unique opportunities because they usually only last for a short time. This image combines several of the tactics discussed here: a special illumination, trace lights from vehicle traffic and aircraft, and using water to add reflections.

The next and final post in this series will cover astronomical phenomena, photographing the moon, stars, and the Milky Way.

Recently, I was asked by a local camera club to give a presentation on “Low Light Photography” and I thought perhaps an abbreviated version might be worthwhile on my blog.

Because the majority of my photography involves landscape scenes and urban architecture, I decided to concentrate on that area, even though low light scenarios can occur in many other situations such as when you are indoors and cannot use a flash.

Night at the Museum, NASA Shuttle Enterprise in the Udvar-Hazy Center

The above image is not typical of what I do, but when an opportunity arises to get inside a major museum after closing, you don’t pass it up. Especially if it’s authorized.

For me, however, twilight is a classic example of how a low light situation can present opportunities for especially dramatic images that are not possible during daylight hours.

Mid-Hudson Bridge, Afternoon Scouting Image

Mid-Hudson Bridge at Dawn, (the next morning)

We all know we that twilight is a relatively short period of time after the sun has gone below the horizon. Even though the sun has disappeared, scattered sunlight from the atmosphere continues to provide illumination.

Transition from Day to Night

But there are three different categories of twilight, based on how far the sun is below the horizon as shown in the chart above. Understanding those three categories is important because the quality of the light and therefore one’s photograph changes significantly depending on how long it’s been since sunset. It also depends on whether you are pointing your camera away from the location of the sunset/sunrise or toward it.

Here, the sky is much darker, in part because it is a bit later than the previous image and also because the camera is pointing away from the western horizon. The image also demonstrates another technique that can porduce a more dramatic look at night: the use of a reflection in a body of water, be it river, pond, or rain puddle.

The glare (a typical problem for night shooting) was managed by using a small aperture to get the star effect which is more attractive than a blown-out spotlight or street lamp. It’s also good idea to use the lens shade when shooting cityscapes at night, to minimize glare from bright lights just outside the composition .

There are many possible subjects for night-time shooting, including cityscapes, landscapes, a staged scenario, and astronomical phenomena. We’ll go into that in Part 2 of this series.

In the meantime, I would be interested in comments from readers about low light situations you have encountered and how you resolved them. I expect to be speaking on this subject again and it would be great to bring in some additional ideas .

Our next overnight was at the Hrifunes Guest House, a charming inn off the beaten track. Hrifunes is jointly owned by Hadda Gisladottir who traveled with us for the first several days of our journey and by our photography guide Haukur Snorrason. The meals are served family style and we can attest to the excellent skills of their kitchen staff and the comfort of the rooms. As I mentioned in Chapter 1 of this odyssey, Hadda primarily manages the guest house while Haukur primarily manages the photo tour operation.

View from the Reading Room, Hrifunes Guest House

Dining Area of Hrifunes Guest House

The next morning we headed off for the Valley of Thor, an area without roads, bridges, hotels, or restaurants. But that will be the subject of the next post. We still had a number of stops on the way.

It didn’t take long for Haukur to abandon the main highway for a destination he had previously spotted from his plane when scouting for remote photo locations. Needless to say, we had this location all to ourselves.

Undisclosed Location, Southern Iceland

After returning to the main road, we spotted a large field of lupine that seemed to be calling for us to come and photograph it.

Field of Lupine

The small village of Vik is an excellent place to stop for lunch and/or stroll along a black sand beach and/or capture some images of the hillside church above the village.

Hillside Church Overlooking Vik and Reynisdrangar Sea Stacks

After lunch, we were planning to check out the Dyrholaey Lighthouse, but the road was jammed with traffic and so we opted for a nearby spot which gave us an excellent overview of Arnardrangur, a massive basalt monolith standing on Reynisfjara, the black sand beach.

Arnardrangur, with Reynisdrangar Sea Stcks in the Distance

A short distance from here, we came upon Skogafoss, one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland. Its name comes from the Skoga River which tumbles over a 200-foot cliff befopre continuing to the sea some 3 miles away. At one time, the coastline was marked by these cliffs, but receded long ago. The river below the falls holds a large salmon and char population and is popular with fishermen between July and October.

Skogafoss, Mid-Afternoon Light

This picture is somewhat deceptive because this is a popular tourist stop and several hundred people were there with us. But almost all were behind us to avoid the mist or climbing the 370 steps to the top of the falls where there is an overlook.

As one travels along the Route 1 in Iceland there are numerous farms on what appears to be a wonderfully serene landscape of waterfalls and/or snowcapped mountains. We stopped briefly at one that seemed especially nice as shown in the image below.

Family Farm in Idyllic Setting

But upon examining an explanatory sign next to the entrance road, we discovered that there is a downside to some locations. In the case of this property, that downside revealed itself on April 14, 2010 with the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull. We would be headed in the general direction of that volcano next. But Haukur didn’t seem concerned.

Overview of Reykjavik, from the observation deck of the Hallgrímskirkja Church

Virtually everyone who travels to Iceland begins and ends their visit in Reykjavik, the northernmost capital city in the world. Despite its location just below the Arctic Circle, Iceland’s climate is milder than one would expect due to the influence of ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream. At the same time, summers are quite cool, with lows in the 40s and sometimes below.

A typical side street in Reykjavik, with a decidely non-urban backdrop featuring Iceland’s dramatic landscape.

The name Reykjavik translates roughly as “Smoky Bay,” a reference to the steam rising from geothermal vents observed by early Viking settlers in the 9th Century. The island currently has a population of about 330,000 persons, yet more than 2/3 of them reside in the capital region. By comparison Fairfax County, Virginia where I live, has over 1 million inhabitants.

A view up the the hill toward the Hallgrímskirkja Church around midnight in early June.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Iceland’s history is that it has the oldest parliament in the world. The “Alþingi” was established as an outdoor assembly around 930 AD and was moved to Reykjavik in 1844. Its survival during a long and often turbulent history enabled the country to maintain a semblance of control over its political destiny even as it became part of the kingdom of Norway in the 15th century and eventually under Danish control. World War II severed the link with Denmark and Iceland became an independent Republic on June 17, 1944.

The Hallgrímskirkja Church with a statue of Leif Eriksson in the foreground. The vertical columns evoke the balsaltic columns which characterize the geology of Iceland’s landscape.

Despite its small size, Reykjavik is a “happening” place anchored by an impressive concert hall, the Harpa, with its colored glass façade evoking the country’s volcanic geology. Additionally, there are upscale restaurants, art galleries, vibrant street art, and a lively nightlife scene.

The Harpa Concert Hall which held its opening concert on May 4, 2011. It houses the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the offices of the Icelandic Opera. The interior architecture is equally dramatic.

Example of Street Art, a 40-foot mural by Li-Hill, a Canadian artist currently based in Brooklyn. Entitled “Deacon of Dark River,” it was completed in 2015.

Prikid, a casual cafe by day, jammin’ hip-hop joint at night (according to folks who have been inside)

Reykjavik boasts a good number of stylish boutiques such as this specialty store, Ofeigur, which carries Icelandic jewelry, dresses by Hildur Bolladittir and hats by Liivia Leskin

But for many who visit here, the most dramatic location is found along the shore of the bay where the stainless steel “Sun Voyager” points its prow out to the sea. Often mistaken as a Viking ship, the artist described it in more general terms of the human experience: calling it “a dreamboat, an ode to the sun, symbolizing light and hope.”

The “Sun Voyager” by Jón Gunnar Árnason

This was my second trip to Iceland, an expedition over the island’s storied landscape which, like most visits here, began and ended with a day in Reykjavik. I was accompanied by two fellow photographers, Rick and Michele and, as we prepared to lave the capital, our intent was to find some places that were off the beaten track. We even hoped we might find one or two special places that were off any track, beaten or otherwise.

Note: Special thanks to my photographer friend Kim, who introduced me to, and guided me through, this special place.

The Eastern Shore of Virginia is a 70-mile tract of land on the Delmarva Peninsula enclosed by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Chesapeake Bay on the west. Its northern border with Maryland and Delaware separates it completely from the rest of Virginia. On the Atlantic side, a series of barrier islands forms the longest remaining natural coastline along the entire eastern seaboard.

Sunset overlooking the Chesapeake Bay, Cape Charles, Virginia

Although this region is one of the earliest colonized areas of North America, Native American tribes flourished here long before European settlers first arrived at the beginning of the 17th Century. Characterized by fertile, easily tilled land and surrounded by the bay and ocean waters, the area remained a seafood and agricultural region with scattered small towns for almost 300 years.

Pear Valley 18th Century home, National Historic Landmark

(This tiny, frame house outside Eastville, VA has one room downstairs and two partial rooms in a sort of attic. It is an example of a middle class home in 1740)

In 1883, a group of railroad investors hatched the idea of a rail-sea link that would extend the terminus of the existing rail line in Maryland 65 miles down the peninsula to a massive pier where the rail cars would be loaded onto special barges that would carry them across the 36-mile stretch of water to a terminus in Norfolk.

Sunset Old Ferry Pier, Cape Charles, Virginia

The creation of the new rail-sea line was the reason for the creation of Cape Charles which, from its very conception, was a planned community and its original layout is still visible today. Many of the original homes still stand, a diverse range of styles including Victorian, Colonial Revival, and even some of the Sears and Roebucks houses that were delivered as a “kit” of 30,000 pieces and a 75- page manual.

Intersection of Mason and Pine Streets (looking left)

The above image shows a former bank, dating from the early 20th Century, that has been renovated and is now a popular Irish pub.

Intersection of Mason and Pine Streets (looking right)

The above image shows a former bank, dating from the early 20th Century, that became a branch of the Bank of America and is now the town library.

With daily trains arriving from New York, the town quickly became the economic center of the lower peninsula. Benefitting from a planned system of paved streets, electricity, telephones, and central water and sewage systems, it was more cosmopolitan than the other shore towns. But the glory years began a downturn with the Great Depression in the 1930s, the decline of the railroads after World War II, and the opening of the Bay-Bridge tunnel in 1964.

The At Altitude Gallery, opened in 2015 by photographer Gordon Campbell in the renovated Wilson’s Department store and exhibiting his dramatic aerial photography of the Cape Charles area.

But, after several decades of continued economic and population decline, the trend has reversed. As indicated in the above image, new businesses have opened and its potential for tourism has been recognized. As indicated in my images below, photographers are particularly smitten with its natural beauty and diversity of subject matter.

Sunrise at Oyster

(Oyster is small unincorporated community, named for its fishing industry, located about 5 miles from Cape Charles on the opposite side of the peninsula.)

Osprey Nest at Sunrise, Cape Charles, Virginia

Sand Dunes off Bay Avenue, Cape Charles, Virginia

Kite Surfers, Cape Charles, Virginia

Eyre Hall Gardens, Cape Charles, Virginia

(Eyre descendents have owned land in the lower portion of Northampton County continuously since 1622 for 12 generations. The gardens, while privately owned are open to the public and are among the oldest gardens in the United States)

The volcanic archipelago making up the Galapagos Islands is relatively young by geological measures and on some of the newer islands you may see only the initial stages of plant life.

A Cactus Plant Finds a Spot on a Lava Formation

One of the strange aspects of volcanic activity is the formation of lava tubes. Don’t ask me for an understandable explanation, but it has to do with the lava flow cooling and becoming hard on the surface, while still-hot lava continues to move under the hardened surface. In some cases, when the eruption ends, the last of the moving lava proceeds through the channel, draining it and leaving a long cave behind.

The tunnel was interesting but very dark and creepy, a great location for a horror movie. And it was the wildlife we wanted to see so not a lot of time was spent there.

Two Sea Lion Pups Napping as Marine Iguana Strolls By

The Galapagos marine iguana is the only iguana that has evolved from a strictly land-based creature to one that swims and feeds in water. They are found nowhere else on the planet. They feed on ocean algae, often fully submersed, and even have a special gland common to marine birds that enables them to extract excess salt from their blood and sneeze it out several times a day.

Sea Lion Yawning

The sea lions found in the Galapagos Islands are the smallest of the sea lion species. The female gives birth to a single pup a year after mating and she stays with it for the first week after birth. She then will depart for one to four days to hunt, while other females of the colony stay behind to watch over the youngsters. Eventually, the pups join their mother to develop swimming and hunting skills.

The smaller birds, such as the Galapagos mocking bird, were more timid than most of the island wildlife but they still provided photo opportunities on occasion. Interestingly, there are seven subspecies of the Galapagos mockingbird, and each one seems to be largely endemic to different islands of the archipelago. Apparently, it was the differences (such as beak size and shape) among these birds, as well as his better known study of the Galapagos finches (15 subspecies) that sparked Darwin’s thinking about adaptive evolution.

I know, I know. I promised scenes from the Galapagos would be in my next post, but……

A week ago (March 12), there was a full moon, an event that happens every 29.5 days. But for photographers in Washington, DC, it was a special night because the moon would rise in a location on the horizon that was pretty close to perfect for the so-called “Holy Grail” shot. It happens, on average, every one or two years.

There is a spot in Arlington, Virginia where one has an excellent view of the city of Washington with a compositionally sweet alignment of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and the U.S. Capitol. The location is the base of the Netherlands Carillon, just to the south of the Iwo Jima Memorial.

Before the advent of the smart phone/tablet, anticipating this event was not easy, requiring a compass and access to some publicly available software on the website of the U.S. Naval Observatory. But now, with the availability of numerous apps, such as The Photographer’s Ephemeris (TPE) or Photo Pils, anyone can figure it out. For example, on this night, even with temperatures hovering around freezing, there were over 60 photographers there, each with at least one tripod and a big lens.

Other than the cold weather, conditions looked pretty good on this evening. The sky was clear and the moon would rise at 86.0 degrees azimuth on the horizon and 13 minutes after sunset. That was a bit further south than ideal, and a bit later than desired relative to the sunset. Nevertheless, it would be the best opportunity in 2017 with only one other chance (October 5) that will be in the ballpark. However, in October, the blue twilight period (Civil Twilight) will end before the moon gets sufficiently elevated.

Although the official time of the moonrise was 7:27 PM, it would be a bit later before it would appear above the skyline. It was first sighted by the group at about 7:29 and the image immediately above was taken about 90 seconds later. By this time, the end of civil twilight is approaching and we would soon lose the classic blue color that is essential to this kind of image.

Furthermore, the combination of a very clear sky with the rapidly fading twilight would cause the moon to become extremely bright as it rose above the dimming effects of the ground haze. The above image was taken at 6:36 PM, about 3 minutes before the end of civil twilight. Already the moon is becoming increasingly bright and the excellent details on its surface have almost vanished. Any images taken after this point would require increasingly heroic post-processing efforts.

So when you prepare for a moon shot, make sure you check more than the location. The relationship in time between the sunset and moonrise and civil twilight can have a significant impact on your results. If you are in a classic landscape situation where no artificial lighting typical of an urban scene is expected, you may want to evaluate the prospects on the night just before the actual full moon. This is especially true where a mountain may be blocking the moon at the time of the “official” moonrise.